CharacterCounts! Founder Michael Josephson to Keynote 20th National Forum on Character Education

WASHINGTON - Aug. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Washington, DC – The Character Education Partnership (CEP) is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Josephson will speak at CEP’s 20^th National Forum on Character Education, Oct. 24-27, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

A former law professor turned tireless entrepreneur, Dr. Josephson is a renowned expert on ethics and character and founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics (1987) and Character Counts! (1993), which advocates for character education in K-12 schools from coast to coast. Based in Los Angeles CA, he may be best known for his creation of The Six Pillars of Character, which promotes “trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.” The familiar, multi-colored pillars adorn banners and posters on hundreds, if not thousands, of elementary and secondary school walls, all across the U.S.

“Michael has been a leader in the field of character education for two decades now, and his efforts have introduced millions of young people worldwide to the concepts of ethics and character” said Mark Hyatt, President & CEO of the Character Education Partnership. “We are honored to have him anchor our conference as its final keynote speaker. We know he will send our attendees away energized and inspired.”

Scheduled to present on “Character Education and Beyond,” Dr. Josephson appreciates the importance of the last speaking slot, which will be at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. He plans to take the opportunity to engage the audience, gauge what they have learned from the Forum, and then to light a fire under them. The aim is to fan the flames and encourage attendees enthusiastically and strategically to go back to their schools as impassioned leaders ready and raring to strengthen, expand and promote character education to colleagues, parents and their entire communities.

“This is a time of great risk and great opportunity,” Dr. Josephson said. “There is a risk that character education will be marginalized in an educational environment dominated by mandates and demands concerning the Common Core, 21^st century work skills and guaranteeing the emotional and physical safety of students. But, if we are willing to adapt and innovate, this can be our greatest opportunity to build the teaching and modeling of good character into the DNA of every school. This is a time when we must come together to share, learn and collaborate.”

Both Character Counts and CEP are celebrating 20-year milestones this year, so the 20^th National Forum is a perfect opportunity for the two groups to come together to promote the need for effective character education. “With all the focus on improving test scores, it sometimes gets lost that academics and character are not an either-or proposition,” Hyatt said. “Our schools need and deserve both. I encourage all schools to send a team to our conference. I know they will go home inspired and with a wealth of best practices and strategies that can be implemented immediately.”

For more information on the conference and to register, see details at www.character.org/Forum.

Character Education Partnership is a national advocate and leader for the character education movement. Based in Washington, DC, CEP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals committed to fostering effective character education in our nation’s schools. CEP provides the vision, leadership and resources for school, families and communities to develop ethical citizens committed to building a just and caring world.

For more information about State and National Schools of Character (http://www.character.org/schools-of-character/) and how schools can improve through high-quality character education, visit www.character.org.